Why a school is needed

Celebrate Jesus of Haiti, Inc. has a goal of bringing the people of Haiti to a level of self-sufficiency.

A good school is a crucial part of that plan. When the students graduate from the sixth grade, they are able to pass the government's tests and can speak their native Creole as well as French (the official language of Haiti) and English.

This opens up many possibilities for these students that they did not have before.

Funding urgently needed

In order for a school to be recognized by the government, the Haitian authorities have established a minimum enrollment.

This required additional teachers in order to maintain an appropriate student-teacher ratio.

This led to increased staffing. Since each student and teacher is fed one meal a day at school, the costs for meals have gone up substantially. This means that your financial support is urgently needed for this important and very successful project. 

Management of the school

The school is run by Haitians. The principal and teachers are paid. No Americans are paid and no Americans are normally present.

Sonja still oversees the entire project, but has delegated the day-to-day decisions to the local Haitian leaders of the school.

Success of the school

The school currently only includes grades 1 through 6. All of the students that started out in 2001 in first grade graduated from the sixth grade in 2007. This is the only school in the area with 100% of the students passing their government tests and is now seen as being one of the premiere schools on the island.

The next goal

Currently, the sixth grade graduates have no further educational opportunities. The foundation has been laid and construction has begun on an adjacent building that will accommodate grades 7 through 9.